Trust Me, I'm a Testimonial
If ever there was a magic marketing ingredient that creates consumer trust, it’s the testimonial. No matter how artfully you describe your services, it’s not going to be as convincing as a legitimate testimonial from a previous client. But for some reason so many SMB service firms fail to provide them on their websites.
Not only are testimonials for a service provider the equivalent of product reviews for a retail business, but for especially complex and custom services, they’re so much more. Businesses will spend countless hours trying to describe the value they provide to customers – but a testimonial does one better by describing client satisfaction - that’s the real value consumers are seeking.
Results from last year’s Nielsen Company survey on global trust in multi-channel advertising (of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries) showed that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people that they know and that 70% give the same value to recommendations from strangers that are posted online. The study results show that this level of trust is the highest assigned to any form of advertising, traditional or online (only corporate websites came close at 70%).
The medical industry is keenly aware of this, as I discovered when I visited a doctor recently. Amidst all the new patient forms that I had to fill out, there was one inviting me be part of a focus group and give my permission to “share my story” with the public (ie: give a testimonial). Medical advertising has featured testimonials, for years, along with that graphical version, known as the before-and-after photograph.
Co-Worker Testimonials
Another innovative marketing use of testimonials has been employee recruitment. Insurance company Mass Mutual set up a website featuring employee videos meant to put a positive personal face on who works in the insurance industry. These testimonials were selected to assist in their goals of diversity and in hiring people unfamiliar with insurance such as those transitioning from another career or recent college graduates.
The initial feedback has been positive, and “the carrier has seen a 300-percent increase in the number of people who have contacted the company regarding career opportunities via the Web site.” (source: Insurance Technology magazine)
Testimonials 2.0
The future of testimonials? Video. Because it features real people that you can see and hear, talking about their experiences, it boosts the perceived trustworthiness of the testimonial. Compared to the written quote, consumers place much more weight in a convincing video testimonial. Trust is the single biggest component of the consumer buying decision – so in case you doubted it, building trust is a good thing.
A young Texas/California real estate agent has gotten attention in the real estate marketing community by capitalizing on the effectiveness of video testimonials. She gives a relatively inexpensive digital video recorder to her new home buying clients to record their home buying process. After the clients buy a home, she has them provide the edited video footage to her to upload on her corporate website – which her clients then promote for her, by the way (by sharing the video with their friends). The videos get published after the clients find their dream home. What better testimonial is there for a real estate agent?
Truth in Advertising
Since testimonials can be so convincing to consumers, there has been FTC oversight to make certain that the use of them is not misleading. In the first major revision to the advertising guides since 1980, the FTC addresses promotion of non typical results, paid endorsements, and holding companies and celebrities libel for false claims. Additionally, be aware that some states have enforced legislation to restrict the use of testimonials specifically for legal firms that go beyond the FTC guide.
The truth is that real and honest testimonials are an invaluable trust generator. Solicit them from customers if you have to, and over time you will have some major marketing assets in your marketing toolbox.
Photo credit: Aidan Jones
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